In the largest industrial action to hit Northern Ireland for 30 years, a 24 hour strike against cuts is being staged by 26,000 UNISON members working in education, health and social care. Patricia McKeown, regional secretary, said: "recent reports indicated that we don't have a health service which is meeting its targets in critical areas such as accident and emergency. The workers are facing some of the worst cuts in their history. They have not been well treated or well served by the government and that is contemptible”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15172997
Sinn Fein, which shares power with the Democratic Unionists in the Northern Ireland Executive, is supporting today’s strike: “we fully support the right of unions to take industrial action and we hope to continue to work in alliance with the trade unions and community and voluntary sector to campaign against cuts and to defend community and public services, especially in the most deprived areas”
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/21630